I confess, I just ordered a Monsters University t-shirt.

As a College Minister, I was especially excited when I heard Pixar and Disney was releasing a sequel (or prequel more like) to Monster’s, Inc. As I predicted, the movie really resonated with me.

I thought about writing a review of Monsters University, but after reading the excellent review on Focus on the Family’s website, Plugged In, I decided to just include the link and share a couple of takeaways: http://www.pluggedin.com/movies/intheaters/monsters-university.aspx

Takeaway #1 – It Provides Insight into Your Mission Field

If China were your mission field, you’d do well to observe cultural trends and philosophies, to better understand and connect with Chinese people. So it is with the university campus and the students that live in that mission field.

Monsters University captures the college experience.

• The fear and excitement of leaving home and the support systems students have always known.
• The blur of freshmen orientation and the mounting text books and syllabi.
• The eagerness of meeting new roommates and experiencing dorm life.
• The reality of tests, finals and GPA’s.
• The appeal of fraternities and sororities, clubs and sports.
• The influence of professors and new ideas.
• The pressure to select a major and live up to the expectations of others.
• The importance of good friends.

If nothing less, watching Monsters University, even though it’s just a cartoon, will help you feel what students feel, and will likely get you pumped all over again to step foot on campus for another semester to help students navigate their way through college in a meaningful way.

Takeaway #2 – It Challenges the Definition of Success and Self-Worth

Early on in the movie, the Dean of The School of Scaring at Monsters University says to student, Mike Wazowski (played by Billy Crystal), “Scariness is the true measure of a monster.” That line stood out to me as I watched students trying to prove themselves and find their identity in their ability to look and act the way others wanted them to. It made me consider, how would the people of our mission field fill in the blank today?

“­_______ is the true measure of a person.” 

What’s neat is, by the end of the movie, the Dean of The School of Scaring said to Mike Wazowski, “You surprised me.”

I like that! It makes me want to call students to own both their faith and their future. To “surprise” themselves, their parents, their friends, their professors and the world. To surprise their adversary, Satan, and surprise their Creator, Yahweh.

Do yourself a favor and watch Monsters University. It would make a fun movie night with your students too, once it comes out on DVD. Also, check out the movie’s clever website, www.monstersuniversity.com, designed to look just like a real university’s website.

Who knows, you might feel compelled to buy a t-shirt too!